Washing machine



July 23, 1929. E. a HOFF WASHING MACHINE Filed Jan. 15. 1927 m4. HofiInventor 5 1W Atkornegs Patented July 23, 1929.

UNITED STATES 1,721,956 PATENT OFFICE.

EARL B. HOFI,,OF- CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE APEXELECTRIGAL MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A. CORPORATION OFOHIO.

WASHING MAGHIN E.

Application filed January 15, 1927. Serial No. 161,301.

This invention relates to washing machines and has for its, object theprovision of a new, improved and simplified dasher which will washclothing quickly and thoroughly and without tearing or snarling. Morespecifi cally the invention relates to a combination of a peculiar formof dasher with a peculiar type of operating mechanism which cooperate toproduce a progressive movement of the clothes or fabrics being washedinstead.

of a mere to and fro movement, and this with a substantially uniformload on the motor.

In the drawings accompanying and form- ]5 ing a part of thisapplication, Fig. 1 is acentral vertical section through a simple formof washing machine containing my improvemerits; Fig. 2 is a top planview and Fig. 3 a bottom plan view of the same; Fig. 4 is a perspectiveview of the dasher shown in Figs. 1 and 2; Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8 are planviews of modified forms of dasher; and Figs. 9 and 10 illustratemodified mechanical movements. The washing machine comprises an uprightcasing 1 carried by legs 2 and having a bottom 3 formed with awater-tight vertical bearing 4 in which is journaled a shaft 5 providedat its lower end with a pinion 6 and at its upper end with a prismatichead 7. Meshing with the pinion is a toothed segment 8 carried on alever 9 pivoted at 10 and having a slot 11 receiving the pin 12 carriedby the rotary disk 13, which in the present embodiment is toothed forengagement with the worm 14 carried by the shaft 15 of the motor 16.This lever can be either of the third class as shown-in Figs. 1 to 3, orof the first class as shown in Fig. 9 or of the second class as shown inFig. 10. In any case the rate of movement in opposite directions will beunequal owing to the varying leverage.

Secured to the upper end of the shaft as by a socket 2O loosely placedthereon is a circular disk 21 having thereon one or more asymmetricallyarranged vanes 22. Prefer- It is not necessaryto have the vane curvedrotate more easily in one direction than in the other at a given speedand at some speed will largely counterbalance the effect of the variableleverage on the oscillating mechanism and thus secure auniform powerconsumption. In case the balancing does not occur at the desired speed aproper curving of the blade-as herein suggested will usually accomplishit. This is not necessary for the washing operation but is desirablefrom a power standpoint.

One vane is best but more can be used as shown in Figs. 5 and 8. It isalso permissible and sometimes advantageous to add another vane such asshown at 24 in Figs. 1, 2, 4 and 7, which is slanted in a differentdirec-. tion. Here I have shown it as having its longest dimensionradial and having its two sides equally slanted. The disk canbe madeconical if desired.

The operation is as follows: the casing being supplied with washingliquid and clothes, the forward movement of the dasher, that is,counterclockwise in Fig. 2, causes thrusting of the clothes toward thecenter of the tub, after which the back swing occurs with com'paratively high speed and small displacing efiect on the clothes afterwhich the next forward thrust catches a new supply of clothes andthrusts them after the first batch. The

result is thlatthe clothes are caused to progress are subjected towashing action. The blades 24 if used exhibit the same effect ineachdirection, namely an upward throwing of the clothes which tends toincrease the distribu-' tion of the same. i p

The important feature of my invention resides in the slanted positionand consequent unsymmetrical effect of the vanes 22, .espe-' cially whentaken in conjunction with an oscillating mechanism so designed as tocompensate for the variable rate of doing work and equalize the load onthe motor. While I have illustrated certain simple mechanical movementsfor this purpose it will be understood that-I do not limit myselfthereto since v many types of intermittent and variable continuously inone direction and all parts gears are known which can be used for thispurpose, and 1 do not limit myself in this or other respects except asspecifically recited in my several claims.

Having thus described my invention what I .claim is:

1. In a washing machine, a dashercomprising a disk having on its faceonly one single, upright vane whose two ends are unequally distant fromthe axis, one of said ends being also advanced circumferentially beyondthe other end, and oscillating gearing operatively connected to saiddisk for oscillating the same about its axis.

2. In a washing. machine, in combination a vertical shaft, a dashercarried thereby and having a vane whose two ends are unequally distantfrom the axis of said shaft, one of said ends being also advancedcircumferentially beyond the other end, and means for imparting to saidshaft an oscillating movementlwhercin the rate of angular movement fiiitlie two directions is unequal.

3.7111 5; washing machine, in combination, acasi'ng having a verticalbearing 111 its bottom, a. shaft oUrnaled therein, a dasher car ried bythe upper end of said shaft, said dasher comprlsing a circular disklocated near the bottom of said casing and one only upright vane carriedby the upper face of said disk whose two ends are spaced at un-- equaldistances radially from the disk axis and at unequal angular positionscircumferentially of said axis, and oscillating mechanism located belowsaid casing operatively connected to said shaft.

4. In a washing machine, in combination,

the direction of its movement, the greater speed occurring at times whenthe inner end of said vane precedes the outer end thereof in its angularmovement. 3

5,. In a washing machine, in combination, a casing, a vertical shafttherein, means for oscillating said shaft at unequal speeds in its toand fro movements, and a dasher carried by said shaft having a vaneinclined to the radius of oscillat-io 6. In a Washing machine, incombination, a'casing, a vertical shaft therein, means for oscillatingsaid shaft at unequal speeds in its to and fro movements, and a dashercarried by the upper end of said shaft comprising a circular disk havingon its upper face and radially and unequally advanced angularly, thedirection of its inclination being such that the end nearest the axis ismost advanced angularly during the more rapid phase of the oscillation.

7. In a washing machine, a dasher comprising a disk having on its face,at one side of its axis, a vane whose two ends are unequally distantfrom the axis, one of said ends being also advanced circumferentiallybeyond the other end, said disk also having on its face at the oppositeside of the axis a radially extending, upwardly projecting slantsldedr1b.

8. In a washing machine, in combination, a casing having a verticalbearing in its bottom, a shaft journalcd thereln, a dasher car riedbythe upper end of said shaft, said dasher comprising a circular disklocated near the bottom of said casing, one only upright vane carried bythe upper face of said disk at one side of the axis, and a radialslant-sided rib carried by the upper face of said disk at the oppositeside of the center from said vane, and oscillating mechanism below saidcasing operatively connected tosaid shaft.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature. EARL B. HOFF.

